Stop biting your cheeks and lips with hypnotherapy

Cheek biting and lip biting are easy to dismiss as small habits, until your mouth is sore all the time. You find a rough patch with your tongue, you nibble at it, and before long there’s a bigger rough patch to go back to. It can happen while you’re reading, working, driving or watching TV, often without you noticing.

Like nail biting and skin picking, chewing the inside of your cheeks or lips is a body-focused repetitive behaviour. It’s common, and it’s a habit that can change with patience and practice. I’m Adam Cox, a clinical hypnotherapist with 17 years in practice, and this page covers how to stop biting the inside of your cheek, when to see your dentist and how hypnotherapy can help.

Signs cheek biting has become a habit

You bite or chew the inside of your cheeks or lips without realising
Your tongue keeps going back to find rough or loose skin
It gets worse when you're stressed, bored or concentrating
You often have sore patches or ulcers where you bite
Your lips are often dry, cracked or bitten
You've tried to stop and found yourself doing it again the same day

Why it's hard to stop biting the inside of your cheek

This habit feeds itself. Biting leaves the skin rough or uneven, and the mouth is very sensitive, so your tongue keeps finding the rough patch. That feels like something that needs fixing, so you bite again, and the loop carries on.

It also tends to happen when your mind is busy elsewhere, so you're not aware enough of it to stop. And it's often worse when you're tense, which is why easing stress is part of the work as well as changing the habit itself.

How hypnotherapy can help you stop biting your cheeks

In sessions we work on noticing the habit sooner, so the first movement of your jaw or tongue becomes a signal to pause rather than something that runs on its own. We also work on the tension and restlessness that often drive it, and on a relaxed resting position for your mouth that's easy to come back to.

Between sessions you'll still need to catch yourself and practise the resting position, and how quickly that settles varies. What hypnotherapy can do is make the new habit feel more natural and the old one less automatic.

How to stop biting your cheeks and lips: things you can try today

Find your resting position. Lips gently closed, teeth slightly apart and your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth. Come back to it whenever you notice yourself chewing.
Use a competing response. When the urge comes, press your lips lightly together or press your tongue to the roof of your mouth until it passes.
Spot your triggers. Note when you do it most, such as reading, screens, driving or stress. Those are the moments to have your competing response ready.
Look after the skin. Use lip balm to keep your lips smooth, so there are fewer rough edges to find.
Give your mouth something else. Sugar-free gum or sipping water helps some people in their danger moments, though it doesn't suit everyone.
Let sores heal. While a mouth ulcer heals, the NHS suggests a soft toothbrush, softer foods, cool drinks through a straw and a warm salt water mouthwash.

When to see your dentist

Biting the inside of your cheek is one of the common causes of mouth ulcers. The NHS says to see a dentist or GP if a mouth ulcer lasts longer than 3 weeks, or if it gets bigger than usual, bleeds, or becomes more painful and red (NHS, mouth ulcers). Please don't put this off, even if you're sure the habit is the cause.

Your dentist can also check whether a sharp tooth, a filling or the way your teeth meet is making it easier to catch your cheek. If you also clench or grind your teeth, see my page on teeth grinding. If the habit is tied to anxiety, your GP can help, and in England you can refer yourself for free to NHS Talking Therapies.

Common questions

Why do I keep biting the inside of my cheek?

Usually because it has become a habit loop. Biting leaves a rough patch, your tongue finds it, and the urge to smooth it leads to more biting. Stress, boredom and concentrating tend to make it worse.

Is cheek biting harmful?

Usually it causes sore patches and mouth ulcers rather than anything serious. But the NHS says any mouth ulcer that lasts longer than 3 weeks should be checked by a dentist or GP, so get a sore looked at if it won't heal.

Can hypnotherapy help with lip biting too?

Yes. I work with lip biting and lip chewing in the same way, by building awareness, easing tension and practising a different response. As with any habit, it needs your own effort as well.

How many sessions will I need?

It depends on how long you've been biting and when it happens most. In one 90 minute session we can work on noticing it sooner and finding a relaxed resting position for your mouth. If stress or boredom sets it off, three sessions give us time for that as well. We can decide together on a consultation call.

How do sessions work?

We meet one to one over Zoom, so you can join from home. We plan each session around the times you tend to bite, such as reading or screen time, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.